


Let The Games Begin

by callmealexandra



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-16
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-03-30 18:19:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3946891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callmealexandra/pseuds/callmealexandra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alexandra Asteri was reaped to fight in the 72nd annual Hunger Games.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pre Game

I was with my stylist under the arena waiting to be sent up. I'd grown close to Elizzian over the past few weeks before the games and I was afraid I would never see her again. The dress for going into the arena was a lightweight, semi fitted t-shirt, a thin athletic jacket, spandex cycling shorts-have fun boys- and running sneakers. Elizzian French braided my auburn hair while we were waiting and secured it with an emerald green hair tie and headband to match my eyes. It was time. She looked me in the eyes and said,

"You are strong Alex. I have no doubts about you. Go kick some ass and give the Capitol a good show." 

Her sapphire blue eyes were bright and tears glistened in them. 

"Don't cry Liz I won't be able to bear leaving you with tears in your eyes," I said to her. 

"It's time for you to go. Be careful out there girl." 

With that, I enter the glass tube that will transport me into the arena where I will hopefully become the victor of the games. I don't know what to expect. The gear is so casual it's shocking. The past games I've seen on the screens at home showed the tributes in parkas, implying a cold arena but this is something I would wear to work out in, not to fight. 

The platform under my feet started to rise and I stole a final glance at Elizzian, the girl with the blazing blue eyes and hair so black it looked violet in some lightings and so long that Rapunzel would be jealous. Thanks to the capitol, her skin had a silver tint to its paleness and she looked like a beautiful doll made of glass. To me, Liz had become the sister I had always wanted. I turned my head away from her and I focused on the steady elevation of my body into the place of child death.

The second I was able to see the space that surrounded me I was frozen in shock. The cornucopia, wasn't even a cornucopia at all; it was a soccer net. Pouring out of the net was the usual food and survival gear, but there were no knives, swords or any other type of actual weapon. What there was available though were baseball bats and hockey sticks, soccer balls and tennis rackets. It was all sports equipment. Well, at least that explained the athletic wear. It had taken me about thirty seconds to process all of this and by that time the automated count down had reached thirty and was going down steadily.

29

28

27

I survey the cornucopia looking for packs that might contain survival gear and see a few right in front. Weapons. What sport has good weapons. Hockey. Is there darts somewhere? I have pretty sharp aim. That's when I spot the bow and arrow. Archery is a sport after all, and that is probably the only actual weapon here. The countdown reached ten and I could see the other tributes getting ready to run. Training and there scores proved that this years bunch isn't that great. I had the highest score of a 10/12. I remembered last years games though, Johanna Mason scored low in private training but she totally kicked ass during the games and became the victor of the 71st Hunger Games. 

3

Oh god 

2

Get ready 

1

I take a deep breath 

0

GO!


	2. The Cornucpia

I take off towards the soccer net cornucopia. I can feel the ground under my feet as I sprint towards the center of the arena. Looking around I see my fellow tributes glancing side to side. I see some running away from the cornucopia entirely. To my right is a career from district two named Mercedes; she has a look of pure rage on her face. I see her path shift minutely so she can cut me off. I speed up and kick her legs out from under her. She falls to the ground and I use that opportunity to kick her hard in the face. Her nose starts spewing blood and it drips as she tries to stand up. I let her get up and as soon as she is up she takes a powerful -but sloppy- swing at my face. I catch her fist and twist her arm around. I hear the bones snap as I pull it behind her back and push her hand towards her head. Her screams are replaced with gasps for air when I wrap my arm around her neck and press my forearm into her throat. A cannon goes off as her body falls limply out of my arms. 

I look back to the cornucopia and start sprinting towards it again. Some tributes have already reached it and are trying to get weapons packs or trying to get away from the careers who are trying to claim the place. I notice immediately that the bow is gone. Damnit. In any other games there're would've already been about six canons. But with sports equipment, people are harder to kill. The cornucopia is about ten feet away and my late approach goes unnoticed. There's a district 3 girl whose name I think is Annabel, about to hit a girl, maybe 13 years old, with a baseball bat. I come up behind Annabel and kick the back of her knees. She loses her footing and falls. I stomp on her wrist and she releases the bat. The little girl, who I now recognize as Lyla of district nine is staring up at me; I can't tell if she's horrified or just shocked. I hand her the bat and shout "Run!"

The closest object to me is a field hockey stick. I grab it and swing it down as if I'm driving a ball and it slams against Annabel's head, knocking her out. Another tribute can deal with her. Looking around I realize that still, no one has noticed my presence.

I use my undetectedness to snoop around the depths of the net. There is a decent sized backpack and I grab it, not worrying about what's inside. Still holding the field hockey stick, I look around for other equipment that serves as ideal weaponry. I spot a rack of javolins; at that same moment I hear a shuffling behind me.

"Alex? Alex is that you?" I hear a low voice, definitely a guy, whisper. Who could be looking for me? Why would someone want to find me? _It's not like you scored highest in individual training or anything_ my subconscious shouts at me.

"Alex! Come on Alex I know you're back there. I saw you run over here after you hit Annabel. I am unarmed, I swear I won't hurt you." he said quickly and just loud enough for me to hear. I slowly walk out of my hiding place and stand up. Upon seeing him, I deduce that he is in fact unarmed. I think briefly about using this time to attack him and run but I think better of it given his size. He stands about 6'1" with broad shoulders and visible muscle definition. he has to be a career. I am also acutely aware of the fact that I have no idea who this guy is. "Who are you?" I ask him.

"Jonathan from district 12? you showed me how to throw an ax in the training center. You told me to find you in the arena." He looks genuinely hurt and my oblivion that's plastered on my face. There is no time for me to rectify my mistake though because at that precise moment, I see a discus sailing towards Jonathan's head.

"John, duck! _NOW!_ " I shout at him. 

The disc soars over our heads and crashes into the rack of javelins. Frantically I search for the thrower; I see a boy about 15 with another disc in his hands. I grab a javelin off the rack and hurl it at him. The spear like projectile splits through the air and the tip buries itself in the boy's chest; a canon goes off. Momentarily I wonder how many have gone off other than the two I heard. When I glance down at Jonathan, he is looking at me with horror and amazement in his eyes. 

"Get up. Grab whatever packs and weapons you can but don't weigh yourself down," I tell him. I spot a bag ment to carry bats or maybe sticks, and pick it up. I put a couple javelin in there and sling it across my shoulder. When I turn around however, Jon is still sitting on the ground with that dumb look on his face. "Dude, do you _want_ to stay here and die?" He shook his head. "Then get up and grab some equipment or I _will_ leave you behind." He scrambled to his feet and grabbed a baseball bat and we started creeping towards the front of the cornucopia.

The ground is littered with the corpses of fallen tributes. I count six, but I may be wrong. As we reach the exit I notice that no one is guarding it. This only makes me move with more caution because the careers could be hiding, waiting to attack us.

"Mercedes! Mercedes!" I can hear the shouts of Lazer calling for his district's female tribute; I sneer.


	3. Chapter 3

I take a moment to look around the arena. There's a barrier of trees surrounding the cornucopia; through sporadic gaps I can see glimpses of nets and what could be sports playing fields. Do they expect us to play baseball until we die or something?

My backpack is weighing on my shoulders and I'm carrying a few "weapons". I can't believe that the Capitol threw this crazy arena at us. It's not even a Quarter Quell! Jonathan is next to me with his own pack and weapons. I nudge his arm, "We can't just stand here the whole time you know. Let's make for the thickest set of trees." I tell him. 

He looks at me and his words are dripping with sarcasm when he speaks, "That is a wonderful observation Alex, thank you for that. But yeah. Trees. Whatever."


End file.
